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Path to the Capital
Path to the Capital is the first chronicle of the Quaranth-Nar campaign, following young Venridare and his party as they venture south across the continent to bring news to the Emperor himself. This section of the campaign is split up into multiple episodes. __FORCETOC__ Leaving Home A brisk Summer morning brought adventure to the sleepy village of Seldern Cross when riders appeared on the Southern road, soldiers in tow. A small group, with six knights and a dozen or so foot soldiers following, the caravan was made up of two large wagons that wore the seal of the Emperor. Such exotic outsiders were rarely seen in these parts, though the locals of the Cross knew well enough to keep their distance. Days later, after the small entourage had left to the North, word started to spread that the traveling band had included a Counsellor of the Emperor and they had brought an important message to the local Lord, Waldrich Dajo. As if to confirm the rumours, the small lord himself was soon riding down into the Cross to meet with his associates, the Earls of the surrounding lands. A great quest had begun. Earl Peyton Venridare, mayor and keeper of Seldern Cross, has spent the majority of his life serving in the Empirical Military, a great Captain in his time, and has served many Emperors in their reigns and their crusades in distant lands. Retired now, though with a very solid understanding of the Empire and its workings, the old man took it upon himself and his family to fulfill this new call to arms - a new Holy Crusade, a pilgrimage across the oceans to conquer and liberate under the hand of the Empire. Seldern Cross, as well as the humble villages around it, the town of Trankat included, has little to offer in the way of food or metal or soldiers. Other than best wishes, there is little for them to send to the Emperor in preparation for this great voyage. Etiquette does not die easily, though, and it is known that a response to such a humbling request for aid should never be left to common folk or animals. This was why the Earl chose his son to bear the provincial response, tasking him with the long journey South to the capital, Quaranth-Mol. Gathering his closest friends, some as close as family, Zeckaine Venridare took upon himself the task of venturing South to the capital and delivering the response of Trankat to the Emperor's court. The morning of their departure was quick and rushed, the small party of five spending the majority of what little wealth they had to help accommodate their journey. A path had been set - to head South and eventually hit the Western coast, where their ability to travel by ocean would be re-assessed - and until such time as they had to leave the road, it was decided the majority of their goods would be kept inside a wagon. Physically leading the group, with his wolf pup Val'rian in tow, Victarion purchased a horse and led the way out of town once their farewells had been said. The road south was mostly familiar to the party as they had spent their whole lives in these parts, though soon enough the farmlands faded away and an unfamiliar wilderness greeted them. The days kept quiet and uneventful, a few farmers wishing the group well and a few travelers greeting them on the road as they ventured North to buy and sell wares. It was the afternoon of the third day, however, that the skies started gather clouds and the party came across the first sign of the dangers to come. The roads were not safe, after all, and the proof had finally presented itself to them. A wagon, looted and overturned, presented the party with signs of a struggle and a number of dead travelers. They appeared to be freshly murdered, the majority of their belongings long taken, and the group decided it was best to setup their camp for the night a short way down the road to stake out the wreckage. Just in case, had been the logic from Argas. Setting up camp, with a light rain falling and Victarion perched in a nearby tree, the group went about their usual rotational shifts and tried to get some sleep. It was near the middle of the night, with Victarion still awake and Argas on guard duty, that the culprits presented themselves. Small figures, moving quietly and carefully, were seen skulking around the overturned caravan. Argas, axe in hand, went about awakening the group and then headed off into the darkness, eager for justice. As the rest of the group prepared themselves, armour and all, they missed the skulking figures of a few more creatures entering their camp, only alerted to the intruders as spears were thrust towards Zeckaine and Orion as the pair exited their tents. Both were able to quickly dodge, however, and the battle ensued. Hearing the combat, Argas was soon back on the scene, skewering the first kill of the night on his horns - a small Kobold - and then turning back to face the rest. As the Kobolds investigating the wagon came running to their friends' aid, the battle ensued - arrows soaring down from above, the crackling of magic, and the calls of battle as swords and axes were swung. By the end the six attackers were slain, the party more or less untouched, and the cold darkness of the rainy night returned. After chasing down one fleeing assailant, Victarion checked the area and got a grasp on the general direction the creatures had come from. Given the hour and the situation, though, it was decided that pursuit or investigation wasn't in the party's best interests. Come morning the group saw no signs of further action during the night and, packing up camp, continued on their way. While the dangers that dwelled on the road, especially so close to home, were of concern to the party, their priority was far South in the Empire Lands. The fourth day of their journey continued uneventfully until about midday, when a group of armed men up ahead chose to block the road as the small group approached. Expecting trouble, the party prepared for combat. Dangerous Roads It had only been four days on the road since leaving their sleepy home of Seldern Cross when the party ran into their first sign of dangers on the road. The kobolds, only the night before, had shown that combat was a powerful asset on the roads, but the incident had only been minor in the grand scheme of things. When the group were halted on the road by six armed men, Victarion and Ophelia quickly spotting a seventh perched in a tree, tension filled the air as the party prepared for their first real challenge.The negotiations had been quick - the group was to pay a toll for passing the highwaymen or they would pay the price. It was unlawful, to say the least, and such blatant blackmail did not get them far. Diplomacy was attempted, but as it failed Argas led the charge to clear the way ahead, horns first. The battle was bloody. Victarion made short work of the archer perched above the road, the man falling down to a broken leg and a prompt assault by Valrin'ar. The battle ensued, then as Argas found himself in the fray and Zeckaine soon ran to join him. An outlying bandit, a gruff man weilding a huge axe, was soon hit by heavenly flames from above and, rightly so, he took his anger out on Odeon. The old man was nimble on his feet, though, and with the help of Ophelia, took down the towering brute. In the fray swords and flails and arrows flew this way and that, the majority of violence was directed towards the huge minotaur in the midst of things. By the end, things looked grim, but the party eventually overcame their assailants and the road was cleared of the sounds of battle. Recovering from the conflict the party collecting the dead, checking over the bodies for anything of value, and those wounded in the combat took some time to rest. Amongst the small camp the bandits had hidden behind some nearby trees the party stumbled unknowingly upon the brigands' captive, a Halfling who soon introduced himself as Islan Halftoe. Bound, beaten and in bad health, Islan was thankful for the rescue and described the harsh journey he'd endured so far at the hands of his captors. The group helped the small man recover from his wounds, as they did so to their own, and it was decided Islan would travel with the group until such time as he could stand on his own and earn some coin to continue his own journey. Checking over the camp the party found some fresh food and some coins to add to their coffers, as well as the rare finds of the Gloves of Mischief, the Dagger of Biting, and the mysterious wand, Sandria's Folly. Distributing the loot amongst themselves and then resting up for the night, the group continued on their way the following day.Several days later the party took a short detour to a small commune a little way off the main road. Here, where three or four small families called home, the party was able to take a short rest and trade off some of their excess goods in return for some fresh food, a top up of ale and wine, and some basic gear for the rest of their adventure. At this point they were almost half way to their first destination; Udoven. It was during this short pit stop that the group, specifically Odeon, was approached by the young wild boy who later introduced himself as Artemis. Alone and quite upset, Artemis begged the party to help him. He had been an orphan for as long as he could remember with his dog being his only companion. The night before their arrival, he said, a snake out in the woods nearby had bitten and killed his dog, and now he wanted the groups help in bringing the canine back to life. There was much discussion on this request and many reservations were tabled by the party members - in the end, led by Zeckaine and Argas mostly, the group decided to help the young boy. If they could not bring his dog back to life using the dubious scroll that the boy had found in his travels, the least they could do was find him a good, safe home. Back on the road with two new companions, the party spent the next few days uneventfully journeying further South. They came across fellow travelers who had little news to share and soon enough found their way to the crossroads - the their South was the inland road to the capital, plagued by isolation and harsh climates, and to the West was their destination, the road that went towards Dunovan and, eventually, the coast. Camping for the night, the party were awoken in the middle of the night by a dimly lit approaching carriage. The driver, an older man, was friendly enough as he arrived and introduced himself as Wallice. He was a merchant, most of the time anyway, and was ferrying some customers from the South up to Three Docks on the North-West coast. He travelled with two women and an older, grumpier man who was introduced as Wallice's swordsman. The new arrivals requested to setup camp opposite the party and, once dawn broke, they could discuss how each could maybe help the other. Come morning the group discussed options, thinking that if they sent Islan North with the carriage he'd be safe and also closer to his destination on the North Coast. The small man was reluctant, though, given the high price of the escort, and soon enough he talked the group out of the idea. He would depart them at Dunovan, if he was a burden, and was thankful for all they'd done for him so far.Before the two groups departed it was Argas and Ophelia who noticed the Bloodstone embedded in the small silver ring one of the women was wearing. One of the more exotic items on their list, a Bloodstone was needed for the resurrection ceremony Artemis was hoping they would perform. Weighing their options, Ophelia utilised her new gloves and by the time the two groups parted the ring was in her possession, with the travelers none the wiser. For the time being, it was only her and Argas who knew what had occurred. Now headed West, the group had only been traveling for a day or so when they came across further delays, this time in the guise of a recently killed soldier or guard wandering blindly along the road atop his confused horse. Before the group were able to investigate the sound of yelling and roars came from the woods nearby, a small gang of Tribal Orcs tearing through the trees and heading straight for their prey.